ARLINGTON -- On one side of the podium at Monday's news conference sat the latest installment of baseball's biggest trend, a first-time manager.

Next to Chris Woodward sat the general manager who's now hired three of his type in a row.

"My hope," Jon Daniels said, "is that I never have to do it again."

Maybe you think the Rangers' GM has already hired at least two too many of any kind. An old baseball axiom, in fact, holds that GMs generally don't last long enough to name three managers.

Ever heard that one, Jon?

"Uh, no," he said.

Not so surprising, really, given that, among current GMs, only the Yankees' Brian Cashman has been with the same club longer than Daniels, entering his 14th season.

"Which sounds crazy," Daniels said, before you did.

Of the two men on the podium, Woodward was, in theory anyway, the story of the day. He seems just the sort of bright, enthusiastic, energetic baseball boss who could actually engage a generation turned off by the old ways. Maybe he can get a few of the kids to recognize the benefit of a two-strike approach. Or the swing-and-miss pitch.

Of his most recent predecessors, Woodward seems closer to Ron Washington than Jeff Banister. Daniels suggests that, at least in part, it could be because both made their bones as third base coaches. They're closest to the action, and possibly it serves to fire their personalities. Whatever the case, Woodward could do worse than build the kind of chemistry Wash forged, both in the clubhouse and among fans.

But pardon your intrepid reporter if he doesn't put too much stock in first impressions. Made the mistake with Banister. At his introductory news conference, he came off like a mix of Tony Robbins and The Rock. Had he pulled back his suit coat to reveal a big red "S," it wouldn't have come as a shock.

Yet, as noted previously, though he had his moments, especially his rookie season, Banister appeared to be a victim of his own opposing forces.

If Woodward succeeds where Wash failed in analytics and Banister stumbled as a communicator, then Daniels probably made the best hire possible.

But it won't matter if he turns out to be the next Joe Maddon if Daniels doesn't give him the right material.

Thirteen years should be long enough to build the type of organization that can sustain success. Daniels has back-to-back World Series and five postseasons, nearly twice as many as the rest of the Rangers' GMs put together.

But fans have short memories, especially with a GM who was the last man standing in a duel with a legend.

Daniels not only won an internal battle with Nolan Ryan, he's outlasted Tom Hicks, the organization's bankruptcy, three managers and a couple of top lieutenants in A.J. Preller and Thad Levine. Not to mention the patience of Rangers nation.

In case you were wondering, Daniels also appears to enjoy the unwavering support of the Rangers' current owners, headed by Ray Davis.

This is where readers ask yours truly if Daniels has incriminating pictures of anyone in ownership. First you'd have to understand this group. A fairly inscrutable bunch. Hicks, for instance, was an easy read in comparison. Like when I asked him why he bought the Stars, and he said it was because it was a good investment. Or when he commented off the cuff on personnel decisions. He was accessible and transparent.

Davis is the anomaly in a town teeming with larger-than-life sports owners. He shows up at big events, like Monday's news conference, but he rarely voices any opinions. In fact, he'd prefer not to comment at all.

Just the same, it's not difficult to imagine what he likes about Daniels, a GM who keeps in touch and only asks to stretch the budget in dire circumstances.

No doubt he likes the direction Daniels has taken this offseason. The hiring of Woodward is the big news, but bringing Shiraz Rehman from the Cubs to reassess "strategic initiatives" and hiring Matt Blood as farm director ranks at least as important.

Or as Daniels put it, "We're recognizing that we need to do things a little differently."

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Does the notion of entertaining opposing viewpoints rank among those changes?

Going back to a group of insiders that once included Preller, now GM of the Padres, and Levine, now in Minnesota, the Rangers under Daniels have been viewed from the outside as an insular bunch. Daniels disputes that notion. He notes that Mike Daly, an assistant GM whose duties have recently been shifted back to minor league development, doesn't hesitate to voice his disagreement privately. Neither did the late Don Welke, who accompanied Preller to San Diego.

"That's part of hiring Chris, part of hiring Shiraz, part of hiring Matt," Daniels said. "They have strong opinions with evidence-based backup. We've hired people with different backgrounds before. When you're here for awhile, there's a misconception that we're all in groupthink.

"And I don't think that's the case."

Whatever fresh views Rehman and Blood bring, Daniels had better consider them. Just because he's lasted this long shouldn't mean he has carte blanche going forward. Hard to imagine he'd introduce a fourth manager without notable success in the interim.

For that matter, Woodward may prove to be the Rangers' manager for my lifetime. Depending on what my cardiologist says, it may not be much of a recommendation at that.